


Daylight's Dirge

by kittengriffin (Shadaras)



Series: Guardians (The Sunlight Saga) [4]
Category: Neopets
Genre: Body-Sharing, Conquering the world, Gen, Robots, Scheming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-11
Updated: 2010-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24039739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadaras/pseuds/kittengriffin
Summary: A Ruki salvager finds a strange amulet amidst the wreckage around Virtupets Station. When he holds it in his hand, he hears Sloth's voice, and together they start planning something grand...
Series: Guardians (The Sunlight Saga) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716496





	1. Chapter 1

Pariel touched the controls of his salvager, bringing himself to a stop relative to the scattered chunks of space refuse. Following the battle against Sloth, there had been a great demand for salvagers as Neopia did its best to scoop up all the reusable pieces of metal that had formed the warships. Even now, there was still plenty out here. He doubted the tourists realized just how much junk there was out in space, and how difficult the junk made navigating through the void.

It was still beautiful, though, just as the ships that had created the scraps had been beautiful. Pariel remembered seeing Sloth’s flagship. It had been glorious, and when it had blown up, he’d been torn between celebrating with everyone else or mourning the loss. In the end, he’d done neither, instead withdrawing and leaving the others to their celebration.

All the talk since then had been about the battle. Pariel shook his head, guiding the pincers of his little ship. Tightening his grip on the joysticks, he gripped a slab of metal, slowly drawing it back to the hold of his ship. The battle was nothing. Neopia had beaten Sloth by luck and magic. In pure strategy, Sloth had done so much better. He’d had an actual army, not just a resistance group and a couple smart kids. With the slab of metal now in his hold, Pariel pressed down on the rear pedals, easing his ship forward and scanning for more salvage.

A glint of neon light to the right caught the Ruki’s attention. Gently touching the thrusters, he maneuvered closer to it, adjusting the magnification on his display screen. Peering at the shining object, Pariel’s mouth fell open. The Space Faerie’s Charm? Without another thought, he gently picked it up in a small pincher and brought it into the cargo bay. Pariel’s hands rested lightly on the control panels for a moment. As he began turning back towards the giant disk of the space station, he wondered how nobody else had found the charm before.

It had to have been floating in space since the battle. It was almost incomprehensible that nobody had found it before now, since everyone had probably been searching for the key to the Resistance’s victory. Pariel smiled, thinking about it. He, a nobody, was the lucky one to find it on a salvage run. Turning the main engine on, Pariel accelerated towards the station. When he cut the engine off, the Ruki glanced back at his cargo hold. There wasn’t any atmosphere in there, but he was wearing a pressure suit.

Biting his lip, Pariel turned back forward. He couldn’t go and look. Not while he was still in the salvage yards. Pressing the thrusters, Pariel wove through the pieces of space junk. He winced each time a crash shook his little vessel, telling him he hadn’t dodged well enough. It was impossible to dodge everything, he knew, but there were competitions between the salvagers to see who could get a full cargo out without getting their hull dented in a hundred places. And that was only a little bit of an exaggeration, the way some people flew.

Having four feet and pedals tied to the thrusters helped, of course. Especially since he still had hands for the maneuvering jets and main engines. He was one of the best flyers within the salvagers, and his name topped most of the record lists. Including the daredevil one, but that one was worth it. Remembering those adventures, Pariel sped towards the space station, watching it grow in his view-screens.

The space station was the most beautiful object ever created, in Pariel’s opinion. The glistening disk of solar panels that gave the station its distinctive shape was below him, a sea of black and silver held together by red struts. In front of him was the giant ball of the station itself, colored silver and black with spots shining out where windows were. Flashes of light near the surface of the station marked the repair ships that were constantly making sure it was in perfect condition.

Pariel smiled, looking at it. Hitting the reverse thrusters with one hand, he slowed his salvager down, drifting towards the hangers. As he neared, Pariel fiddled with the maneuvering jets to bring himself to a stop, relative to the station. Now ‘on top’ of the space station and drifting along with it, he turned his radio on to contact his hanger. “Excavator One-Four-Echo-Jigsaw to Sigma-Sigma-Hag-Oh-Six-One. Excavator One-Four-Echo-Jigsaw requesting permission to enter hanger. Over.”

The radio crackled for a moment before a voice came through. “Sigma-Sigma-Hag-Oh-Six-One to Excavator One-Four-Echo-Jigsaw. Excavator One-Four-Echo-Jigsaw cleared for entry. Over.”

“Copy. Excavator One-Four-Echo-Jigsaw out.” Pariel clicked off his radio, tapping his maneuvering jets to begin drifting into the hanger. As he neared, the dull metal plates covering the hanger pulled back, revealing the brighter interior. It was empty, as Pariel had expected. The three salvagers who shared the tiny hanger with him were all out when he came back. Of course, it meant that he had to leave from a crowded hanger, but that was usually simpler.

Guiding his craft through the entry, Pariel slowly set it down. The thump of the craft touching down was a harsh vibration, and Pariel winced slightly, cutting the engines and beginning the power-down sequence. It only took a few minutes, and when he finished Pariel undid the straps that had kept him firmly in place during the flight. Taking the final one off, the Ruki stood, bouncing a little in the low gravity. Slowly turning around in the cramped space, Pariel made his way to the hatch, jumping to reach the door on the roof of the craft.

Climbing up into the bright lights and space of the hanger was a relief, as always. Spending days alone in space in a spaceship that barely had enough space for him to fully stretch out made him truly appreciate the size of the space station and the effort that must’ve been required to build it. Hopping off his ship, Pariel slowly fell down to the hanger deck. When he landed, there wasn’t any sound; the hanger was kept depressurized. It made it easier to open and close the hanger doors.

Grabbing hold of a rung on the side of his salvager, Pariel swung himself to the cargo hatch near the front of the ship. Entering his code on the touchpad, Pariel waited impatiently for the door to slide open. The dark chamber he entered was filled with pieces of metal, some twisting towers that leaned against the walls, some plates that lay flat against the floor, others just crumpled pieces that propped up the other pieces. It was a maze of metal, and somewhere within the maze was the gem, the charm that the Ruki was looking for.

Feeling to the left side of the door, Pariel pressed the light switch. The lights flickered, warming up, but soon filled the chamber with a soft light. Smiling, Pariel entered, ready to begin searching for the blue and gold charm. The thing about finding it was that the chamber was large and the charm was small. Technically, he could hold off looking for it until after he’d checked in and gotten some robots to help him take all the large chunks out. He didn’t want to. Closing his eyes, Pariel sighed. This was going to be difficult.

A whisper of thought filled his mind. Without opening his eyes, Pariel climbed over a sheet of metal, fingers tracing the edges as his four feet kept him stable while he transferred his weight to what felt like a girder.

Making his way down the beam, Pariel followed the whisper. As he set foot on the floor of the ship, his head crashed against another piece of metal and his eyes snapped open. Right in front of him was the charm that he’d been searching for. Pariel stared at it in shock. “How in all the worlds did that work?” he muttered, reaching out to take the bauble. As his fingers closed around it, the Ruki saw a flash of green-gold light, similar in color to his own skin. Shaking his head in amusement at the trick of light, Pariel tucked the charm into a pocket.

Turning, Pariel climbed back up the beam before jumping down to the door. Drifting slowly in the low gravity, Pariel caught himself on the wall and dropped down. Exiting the craft, he closed the door behind him. Leaping again, Pariel made his way to the airlock. Glancing up at the indicator light, Pariel nodded slightly. It was green, as he’d expected. Nobody came to the hangers if they didn’t need to. Placing one hand on the touchpad to unlock it, Pariel opened the door with the other.

Stepping into the airlock, he pulled the door closed behind him. As soon as it closed, a soft hissing filled the air. Pariel watched the pressure gauge, waiting for it to climb up to 100. When it finally did, Pariel pulled off his helmet and gloves, revealing green skin. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Pariel pushed the door into the station open. His boots clunked on the floor, the slight magnetism of the station’s corridors allowing him to move along at a regular speed despite the low gravity.

Nobody else was around, which was the way he liked it. At the lift, Pariel hit the call button and leaned against the wall, waiting and looking out a window. Windows dotted most of the upper-level walls, a reward for those who spent their time in the lower gravity. Despite how much time he spent looking at the stars, it was hard to break his eyes away from the intricate patterns they made. The constellations known in Neopia shifted, blurred, transformed into new patterns with the addition of more stars.

The soft beep that marked the arrival of the lift broke Pariel’s star-induced trance. He entered the lift quickly, fingers already hitting the button for the level his quarters were on. It was in the band that mimicked, or nearly mimicked, Neopian gravity. The most normal band was reserved for tourists who didn’t want to get too disoriented, the heavier levels were for those who needed strength, and the lighter ones for the space-walkers and space-workers who spent most of their time in null-gravity anyway.

Most of the gyms that the space-workers were told to spend time in were on the heavier levels as well. Pariel smiled slightly. The workers didn’t like that, but since most of them dreamt of returning to Neopia one day, they obeyed. Another soft beep and the hiss of opening doors marked the lift’s arrival at his level. Pariel stepped out into the relative noise and chatter. Almost everyone wore the standard space-suits, simply because most of them were either on their way to null-g and the void or because they were returning.

It was a sea of gray-green cloth and silver metal and plastic, all covering people of all species and colors. Entering it, Pariel worked his way towards his room. Spacers were sorted by hanger and by crew, and if his hanger was empty, his room would be too. Finally reaching his door, Pariel opened it and entered as quickly as possible, leaving the noise of the crowd behind for the quiet darkness. Not bothering to turn the lights on, Pariel turned to the left, taking the few steps necessary to reach the door into his room.

Once inside, he turned the lights on and closed the door behind him. Dropping his helmet and gloves onto his already messy bed, Pariel pulled out the charm. It pulsed with a steady green-gold light, dimming and brightening like a heartbeat. Hypnotized, Pariel lowed himself to the ground, legs folding under him. “What are you?” he whispered. “I never heard of anything doing this before.”

A deep laugh flickered through his mind. _I am known to you as Doctor Sloth,_ a voice said, _and now you are my servant, my voice in this world. Pariel Zupan, you have no choice in this matter. Accept me, or I shall force you to._

Pariel stared at the charm. The blue crystal and the gold setting swirled underneath the green-tinged light that covered it. Green like Sloth. Green like him. Green like the world below, where everyone lived happily and peacefully, safe in the belief that Sloth had been banished by the Space Faerie.

_The Space Faerie._ The voice sounded angry now, and it was stronger, coming more easily into Pariel’s mind. _She used to like me, but now she traps me. It’s for my own good, according to her._ Sloth was bitter, Pariel realized. The powerful Doctor who had almost ruled Neopia was bitter about this. _What do you believe, Pariel? I know how I can be freed, but I require a voice to convince others to help me._

Pariel took a deep breath. It was hard to believe he was doing this, hard to believe that Doctor Sloth was talking to him, hard to believe that he’d been chosen as the new voice for the greatest lord in Neopia. But since the other option was that he was a madman, driven crazy by solitude and space...

“I accept this duty,” he said. “Take my voice, take my body, take whatever you need from me to become the ruler you should already be.”

The charm glowed brightly, and Sloth’s laughter echoed in Pariel’s ears, in his mind. It was overwhelming, all-consuming. It felt like tendrils of thought were wrapping around his brain, enveloping his mind, shutting him down and taking his place. The last thing he heard before he fell into darkness was Sloth’s voice.

_Thank you._


	2. Chapter 2

Pariel opened his eyes to the soft gold light of simulated dawn. The sphere he still clutched in his hand pulsed rhythmically, green-gold light almost concealing the gold-wrapped blue crystal. Pushing himself to his feet, Pariel staggered slightly, not quite able to balance. Leaning against the wall, he drew in deep breaths. He hadn’t had that reaction to the station in years. His body had adjusted to the lighter gravity here. Some people never learned how to adjust, but the spacers were only chosen if they could.

Pushing off from the wall, the Ruki took three jerky steps before tripping over himself and falling. Lying on the floor, Pariel didn’t make an effort to get up again. The sphere he held in his hand still pulsed. Pariel held it in front of his face. “Look,” he began, trying not to feel silly, “I’ve had four legs all my life. You’ve never had more than two. I know how to deal with them, you don’t. Okay?”

Pariel waited for a response. Unless he’d been hallucinating last night, he should get a response. If he hadn’t had the pulsing charm in his hand, he would’ve been sure he’d hallucinated. But as time went on, he began to doubt. What if that had been a fluke? What if there’d been some sort of contact poison on the charm, just to convince whoever first picked it up that Sloth really was alive?

_You doubt me?_

Convulsively, Pariel threw the charm away. It hit the wall with a clack, bouncing down to the floor, where it rolled straight back to Pariel. It stopped in front of his face, the light around it almost entirely green now. Pariel reached out in disbelief, and as his hand touched the charm again, the light shifted slightly, matching his skin. “No,” he whispered.

_Good. You have a computer._ Pariel nodded, even though Sloth had said that as a statement. _Show me what has happened since I was trapped._

Pariel rose, charm clutched tightly in his hand. Whatever Sloth had been doing to mess with his balance before, it was gone now, and after the few steps it took to get to his computer, Pariel brought up the headline news reports from the last year. Quickly scanning through them, Pariel rolled his eyes. The Altador Cup III, new fashions, increasing use of Virtupets technology in Neopia – Sloth laughed at that one – and new games galore. Nothing interesting in either of their opinions.

_The Station?_ Sloth asked, already taking control of Pariel’s fingers to type in the query. Setting the charm down, Pariel watched, fascinated, as detailed schematics appeared on his screen, miniscule numbers and symbols scattered around the forms. He recognized some of what it was saying. Pressure, gravity, velocity – simple things. Most of it he couldn’t decipher, however.

Sloth pushed Pariel out of the way, taking full control of the Ruki’s body. “You see,” he said, talking as he typed and scanned the information that scrolled across the screen, “it’s quite a simple procedure to erase documents from public – or even private – view. It’s a much harder procedure to erase those documents from the system itself.”

_What’re you looking for?_ Pariel asked. He couldn’t read anywhere near as quickly as Sloth seemed able to.

“Documents, obviously.” Sloth laughed, the sound odd coming from Pariel’s throat. “What documents? Whatever I can find. Records Valka doesn’t want anyone to see. Secrets the scientists don’t want anyone else to know. I should still have loyal members among the scientists, at least.” He paused, frowning as he looked at another schematic. “Valka disabled the security cameras I had in these rooms within an hour of taking over. I didn’t think he’d manage that so quickly.” He frowned slightly, entering a few keystrokes. “Go here. And keep the charm with you.”

With no more warning than that, Sloth retreated, shoving Pariel back to the fore. Disoriented, the Ruki stared at the screen. “How am I supposed to get into the labs?” he asked after a moment. “I’m a salvager. If Valka didn’t chastise anyone who treated a worker as scum, I’d be treated like that.”

_Figure it out yourself,_ Sloth snapped. _I have more important things to think about._

“Fine,” Pariel muttered. “Then don’t blame me when everything goes wrong.” Quickly stripping his used clothing, he tossed it into a corner carelessly. He’d have time to take care of it later. Once dressed in looser, more casual clothing, he slipped the charm into a pocket and sealed the pocket shut before leaving his room. There weren’t as many people up and about at this time. Most jobs either had their shift change an hour before or after dawn, not at it. Stopping by a food stall to buy a package of green slime that was tasteless but edible, Pariel headed for the lifts.

It took some time to get an empty one, even in the relative calm of the early morning. By the time he found one, Pariel had finished his breakfast and thrown the package away. Entering the empty lift, Pariel hit the button marked ‘13’. The lift’s door slid closed almost silently, and it began to rise. Pariel leaned against the wall, waiting for it to stop. It wouldn’t take long. The diminishing gravity was noticeable, though Pariel ignored it, used to the effect after years of living with it.

Gently coming to a halt, the lift’s door opened. Pariel stepped out, looking around curiously. He hadn’t gone to the lab level before. It was clean, sanitized. Everything was lit by pure white light. Pariel’s boots seemed to echo even more than usual as he advanced through the corridors. The loudest sound he heard, other than his own steps, was the buzz of the space stations systems.

Following his memory of the map Sloth had shown him, Pariel headed for the labs. He didn’t see any scientists hurrying about, unlike what he’d expected. The corridors were empty. It was an odd feeling, after the crowded halls of the worker levels and the cramped space of his salvager. There was space to move freely, and the bouncing step the light gravity gave him was almost like the dock level.

The lab he was heading for had its door open. Pariel paused just outside it, peering in. A striped Pteri fluttered around, each wingbeat sending more paper flying and sending the Pteri after it. The cycle kept repeating, and Pariel wondered how the Pteri got any work done at all. A piece of paper blew out the open door. Pariel bent, picking it up, and handed it to the rushing Pteri with a smile.

_Ask him about the artificial intelligence project._ Sloth paused. _He’s called Professor Fugelce._

Pariel shrugged slightly. “Professor Fugelce?”

The Pteri paused in his endless rush to get papers picked up. “That’s me.”

“I was wondering about the artificial intel-”

“Oh! Of course!” Professor Fugelce turned, smiling fit to split his face, or at least his beak. “Come in, and I’ll tell you all about it! It’s been years since anyone’s asked about that.”

Pariel followed the Pteri into his lab, closing the door behind him. Now that he could see the whole lab, it made a chaotic sort of sense. All the papers scattered around the room were just one part of the whole. The whole, of course, was a lot of what looked like scrap metal piled near, on, under, and generally around two giant desks. Tools lay on both of them, and what looked like a misshapen metal egg sat in a corner.

“You see, Lord Sloth himself was the one who asked me to begin work on artificial intelligence, all those years ago.” Professor Fugelce smiled, picking up one of the sheets of paper. “I started with projects like Neopets V2. That one failed spectacularly, but it proved that creating artificial intelligence was possible.”

Pariel raised an eyebrow. “Hasn’t that mad Scorchio’s lab been making robots for years?”

The professor waved a wing as he sifted through papers, not looking at Pariel. “That’s nothing. That ray simply alters the physiology of a person to be bio-mechanical. That’s not artificial intelligence. That,” he said, pointing at the misshapen egg, “is.”

“Really.” Pariel looked at it, but couldn’t see anything about it that suggested intelligence.

“Of course!” The Pteri fluttered over to it, carefully reattaching wires and metal plates. “I was working on this when the Valka fiasco happened. Valka told me to stop working on this. I ignored him.” Professor Fugelce looked over his shoulder, grinning at Pariel. “He hasn’t come back since.”

_Ask him if it works._

“So, does that... robot of yours work?”

“What do you think?” Professor Fugelce flipped a switch, stepping back from the egg. A proud grin split his face as it slowly rose from the ground, a plastic panel rotating to face the Pteri.

Pixel by pixel, a face appeared on the panel. Hands unfolded from either side of the robot, and it swiveled, stopping when it reached Pariel. “Wh-at is. This?” it asked, voice sparking and crackling, but understandable.

“It is a Ruki,” Professor Fugelce said. “Introduce yourself to the Ruki, Veethree.”

The robot bobbed in the air. “Myn-ame. Is. Vee Three. I am plea-sed. To meet you.”

Pariel bowed to the robot, trying to ignore Sloth’s laughter in his head. “My name is Pariel. Nice to meet you, Veethree.”

The robot didn’t say anything, simply continuing to scan the room. When it turned back to Professor Fugelce, he turned it off. “What do you think?”

_Give me control._

Pariel closed his eyes briefly, letting Sloth shove him aside. “Can you make warrior robots?” Sloth asked.

The expression on Fugelce’s face froze. “Yes,” he said slowly. “I can. The patterns required for fighting are simpler than the ones for creating speech and independent thought. Why do you want warriors?”

“To take over Neopia, of course.”


	3. Chapter 3

The striped Pteri looked at him, astonished. Pariel half-wondered why. It wasn’t like that was an odd idea. But then, Professor Fugelce didn’t know that he was talking to Sloth.

“Say again?” Fugelce managed. “I thought I heard you say you wanted to take over Neopia.”

“I do.” Sloth shrugged Pariel’s shoulders, stepping towards Fugelce. “Do you doubt me?”

“Who are you?”

“Doctor Frank Sloth, your lord and master.” Sloth smiled slightly, watching Fugelce’s face transform from anger to disbelief.

“But you’re a Ruki.”

“That is simply the form I have to work with, as it was a Ruki who found the Space Faerie’s charm out in the rubble of my fleet.” Sloth glared at the Pteri. “Would you like me to quote the order I gave you when I told you to start working with artificial intelligence?”

Professor Fugelce backed against the wall, eyes wide open. “No, no. You don’t need to do that, Lord. I believe you. What do you require of me?”

“Spread the word among the scientists still loyal to me,” Sloth said, pacing back and forth through Fugelce’s cluttered lab. “Tell them that I am back, to stay quiet about it, and to resume work on whatever I had last ordered them to do, so long as it will not be obvious to Valka. And tell them...” Sloth paused, smiling. “Tell them that I will succeed this time, and there is no doubt. Do you understand?”

The Pteri nodded.

“Oh, and begin work on warrior robots, if you can hide it from Valka.” Sloth turned, exiting the room. Without warning, he gave Pariel control of his body again. _Go to a public computer. One where they don’t ask for your ID._

Pariel nodded, heading back to the lifts. The civilian levels had plenty of public computers, since nobody at Virtupets had found a way to issue them all IDs. “Just remember that we’ll need to enter a valid name,” he muttered, entering a lift. Pressing the button labeled ‘9’, he kept talking. “How’re you going to do that?”

_Civilians had nametags when I controlled the station. I assume they still do._

“Oh. Yeah.” He’d forgotten about that. His job didn’t require seeing civilians in more than a passing way, after all. At least, it hadn’t. He sighed, stepping out of the lift into chaos. The levels dedicated to civilians were a riot of color and light. Panels on the ceiling showed images from the outside of the space station in real time, and Pariel kept dodging visitors more interested in the ceiling than paying attention to where they were going. At least it was easy enough to glance at the nametags.

As soon as Pariel stopped in front of an empty computer, Sloth took over. His finger raced over the keys, entering a name without pause. Pariel didn’t recognize the name, but he’d been more worried about not running into anyone than looking at nametags. When Sloth had entered the system, he glanced at the links and sighed. A few taps on the keyboard later, he’d entered an address for a message to be sent to.

_Wait. You’re sending a message to Fyora?_

“Yes,” Sloth muttered, keeping his voice quiet enough not to be heard over the endless babble around them. “And you’d do well to remember that you have no idea what you’ve gotten into. _He_ may have spoken, bringing you to the charm, but there is still much to do.”

_Why are you sending a message to Fyora?_

Sloth sighed. “Because, despite what it seems like, we’re friends.”

Pariel tried to reply to that, but couldn’t come up with any words. Especially as he read the words Sloth had written. _‘Bright Star – the time is coming.’_

_Bright Star?_

“Be quiet, Pariel. We’ll talk more after you write a message for hackers to find.” Sloth typed a command, sending the message off to its destination, and then released control of their body to Pariel. The green Ruki was left staring at a blank screen. _Don’t forget to make it obvious only to hackers._

“Like I have any idea of what hackers know that most don’t,” Pariel muttered, beginning to type. _‘Sorry for this message. Lior kind of forced me to send it. Of course, you just want to know what this is all about. There’s a message spreading through the station, and nobody knows where it started. Historically, that only happens when someone’s trying to say something that people don’t want known. I don’t know what this message is for, but I thought you might want to know about it. So yeah. Berate me if you want. Actually, don’t. Conk me on the head with a rock, like a Tyrannian might. ‘kay, this message is over now.’_

“Is that acceptable?” Pariel’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to send it off into cyberspace whenever Sloth commanded. Instead, Sloth took over his body, editing the passage before sending it into a completely separate database that Pariel had no idea existed.

“It’s where hackers make their living,” Sloth said, still typing. “They hack into this and think that they’re so special for figuring out how to get in. I don’t see why they imagine other people can’t get in; it’s not that hard.”

_Says you._ Screens flickered past almost faster than Pariel could register them. _How do you type that fast?_

Sloth laughed. “I created the system.”

_Which is why you know all the loopholes._

“Of course.” His fingers paused for a moment, leaving the screen on the image of a spotted Lupe. Sloth inhaled sharply. “He’s still around?” Pariel glimpsed the name under the Lupe. _Fideus._ Almost as soon as Pariel read the word, Sloth began typing again and the screen returned to a flickering blur.

_Who was that?_ Pariel asked, not bothering to try and look at the screen anymore.

Sloth didn’t answer until he cleared the screen, leaving it ready for the next user. “An old acquaintance of mine,” he said, turning and walking through the crowd. “He knows all of us, actually, but he’s never told any of us how.”

_All of who?_

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Sloth smiled, and Pariel felt it through the muscles they shared. “For now, how long can you stay on the station without people noticing?”

_A week or so, I think. Depends on how soon the others who share my hanger get back and how soon they want to leave. I’m always the first out, usually by a day or so. Why?_

Sloth entered a lift, returning control to Pariel. _Because we’ll need to wait for these messages to bear fruit._

“Which means waiting.” Pariel sighed, pressing the button for level 15. “How long ‘till the first replies come in?”

_In optimal circumstances? Probably two hours. Four’s more likely, in these._

Pariel nodded, leaning against the wall of the lift as it rose. He could feel the effects of gravity lightening, the bonds holding him to the floor growing weaker. By the time the lift stopped, only the most tenuous touch kept him from floating. Pariel smiled, leaping out of the lift with a gentle push. Spreading his arms to keep the walls a safe distance away, the Ruki bounded down the corridor. He’d left his magnetic boots in his room, and he didn’t particularly care.

Catching hold of the airlock’s handle, Pariel brought himself to a stop. The airlock’s indicator light shone green, and Pariel quickly entered, barely glancing at the matching light on the next door before passing through that one as well. The dock was perfectly empty, except for Pariel’s salvager. The dark green and red craft sat in the middle of the dock, blocky shape anything but beautiful. All of its pincers were folded by its sides, and the cargo compartment was sealed.

With two long leaps, Pariel reached the cargo door. Typing in the access code as quickly as he could, the Ruki barely waited for the door to open before he entered. Reaching to the side, he turned on the lights, illuminating the pile of scrap metal. With a sigh and a smile, Pariel set to work, dragging out any pieces small and light enough. The low gravity helped, of course, but there was still only so much he could do.

After half an hour of carrying metal, Sloth spoke up. _You could have brought robots. Then you wouldn’t need to do any of this._

“But then I wouldn’t have done anything,” Pariel said, setting down a twisted hunk of metal that looked like it might have been a firing ray at one point in time. Flexing weary fingers, he added, “And I need to get exercise somehow. Even if this isn’t much, it’s something. And a whole lot more fun than using the gym.”

Sloth stayed silent, and Pariel returned to work. After an hour, the green Ruki sighed, sitting down on a chunk of metal. Of the small scraps, what was left in the cargo bay could wait. He’d come back tomorrow and bring robots to carry out the giant beams. _Going to check for messages now?_ Sloth asked.

Pariel jerked upright. He’d forgotten that Sloth could read his mind. “Go ahead,” he mumbled, letting himself fade to the background. “I don’t know how.”

Sloth laughed, the rich sound coming from Pariel’s throat. Rising, Sloth took them back out of the hanger, breezing through the airlock without care. With a few precise jumps, they were back at the lift, and Sloth called it, crossing his arms as he waited for the lift to arrive. Drowsing in the background, Pariel found it amusing that Sloth’s thoughts were filled with memories of when it took bare seconds for lifts to come from the lowest depths to the highest.

_Was that in the days when there were only a few levels?_ he asked.

“In a way.” Sloth’s thoughts misted, and Pariel found himself looking at nothing more than the reflections of his own mind and what his eyes – Sloth’s eyes – saw. The lift arrived, and Sloth entered, pressing the button labeled ‘8’ without even looking. “It was from a place you will never know.”

_What do you mean?_ Pariel pried at Sloth’s thoughts, but they remained opaque to him. _Don’t we share a mind now? Won’t I know everything you do?_

“In time.” Sloth’s deep laugher echoed in the lift. “But by that time, who will you be?”

The lift’s door opened, and Sloth stepped out into the crowd. Pariel wanted to question him about what he’d just said, but by the time he’d figured out what to ask, Sloth was at a computer station. _You see,_ Sloth said, _it’s a simple enough matter to get the message out there. The interesting part is seeing who replies, and how._ His fingers paused, and an image filled the screen. Pariel peered at it, trying to figure out why Sloth put it on the screen. It was just a picture of a Faerie Pteri in flight.

Then Sloth’s fingers moved again, and the left eye of the Pteri enlarged to fill the screen. _‘Rainbow Room,’_ tiny text read. _‘0300 6/12. We will meet.’_

_What does that mean?_ Pariel asked after a moment.

Sloth blanked the screen, adding a secondary command Pariel didn’t recognize. _It means we’re making progress._


	4. Chapter 4

The next three days passed in a blur. Pariel unloaded his ship, examining each piece of metal to see whether or not it was useable as it was. Only two were, and just barely. Even so, that was more than usual. But when the meeting grew near, Pariel spent more time pacing in his rooms than in the hanger. He’d done all he could with his cargo, two of his friends had landed in that hanger, and with Sloth in his head, he couldn’t reasonably go and entertain himself the way he usually did.

Besides, there was that meeting. Pariel had ranted about it to Sloth for hours, talking both aloud and in his mind. Sloth had stayed silent, letting him rant. But as the hours counted down, Sloth forcibly took control of their body, calming Pariel’s jitters. “What’s done is done,” he said, dressing in a dark blue-gray outfit. “We’ve accepted the meeting. I know where the room is. Stop complaining.”

_You don’t know who contacted you, though._

Sloth’s hand stilled. “You underestimate me.”

_I think not._

With a soft laugh, Sloth finished buttoning his clothing and slipped the charm over his head. “You don’t know what I think, Pariel.”

Pariel quieted, drifting into his own thoughts as Sloth walked into the midnight station. Few people were about, though robots roamed the halls freely. Sloth took a lift up to level 12, impatient with even the minute of delay the lift imposed. Striding from the lift as soon as the door slid open, Sloth walked down the corridors, boots echoing hollowly. If any obsessive scientists remained in their labs, they didn’t look at Sloth as he made his way to the Rainbow Room.

Digging into Sloth’s memory, Pariel tried to figure out why it was called that. From the memories he uncovered, it was an empty room with made of nothing but metal. He didn’t ask Sloth. Hopefully, he’d find out soon enough whether there was a good explanation of the name or whether Sloth was intentionally thwarting his attempts to find out anything.

At the door to the Rainbow Room, Sloth paused. “Identification,” he said quietly. “Doctor Franklin Sloth, currently in the body of one Pariel Zupan.” The door opened with a hiss, and Sloth stepped in.

Pariel stared at the room. Every surface was made out of pure light. Prisms coated the walls, and the light that shone through them covered absolutely everything. Standing in the middle of it all was a spotted Lupe, hands clasped behind him. He wore red and gold robes, utterly impractical for the space station. The Lupe smiled, seeing them. “I was afraid you wouldn’t see the message,” he said, voice light and almost too cheerful. “But perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part.”

Sloth hit a switch beside the door, probably with more force than necessary, and the rainbows disappeared. “Is there anyone else I can talk to?”

The Lupe laughed, spreading his arms. “And miss out on my delightful company?”

_Who is he?_

_Someone who meddles far too much._ Sloth crossed his arms. “Get to the point, Chronicler.”

“I just wanted to know how you found him.” The Lupe’s cheerful demeanor vanished as if it had never been, and he let his arms fall to his sides as he narrowed his blue-gray eyes. “Do you know who he is?”

“He found the charm.” Sloth shrugged. “That says enough.”

“Good.” The Lupe grinned suddenly. “She’s doing well.”

Pariel felt the difference in Sloth at those words. From being completely on his guard, Sloth’s mind was sent reeling. “Which she?” Sloth asked, delicate strands of fear lacing his words.

“Both, I suppose.” Smoothing his red and gold robes, the Lupe shrugged carelessly. “Though one of them knows you’re back and the other one has yet to come near enough. I hope you’re ready for her when she does.”

“I’ll need to be.” Sloth clenched his hands. “And the others?”

_Who’re you talking about?_

_Shut up._

“What, spoil it for you?” The Lupe laughed, spreading his hands once more. “Wait a hundred years or so, and it’ll all come together.” He paused. “And Pariel, be glad you don’t understand. By the time you do, it won’t matter.”

Pariel grabbed the Lupe’s robe, overtaking Sloth for a bare moment. “Why?”

Silver-blue eyes stared calmly at him. “Fate,” the Lupe said softly. He gently disengaged from Pariel. “The others wait in the next room, Lord Pariel-Sloth. I hope you converse more nicely with them.” He bowed slightly and walked out the room without another word.

_Now will you tell me who he is?_ Pariel asked tentatively.

Sloth shook his head, walking forward. _Fideus is the Chronicler._

_What does that mean?_

_Absolutely nothing,_ Sloth said bitterly, opening the door.

The room was austere, with little other than metal walls and simple benches lining those walls. Professor Fugelce practically attacked Sloth as he stepped inside, talking too fast for either Pariel or Sloth to understand. Not that they cared. Their attention was focused on the other person in the room.

“Glad to see you back, Lord Commander.” The split Grundo smiled, his X-shaped scar distorting slightly. “Your message was unclear, but a Lupe told us where to meet.”

Sloth nodded absently, taking in the near-empty room. “Is anyone else still around?”

“Garoo deserted shortly after you left.” Parlax crossed his arms, shrugging slightly. “No great loss. Gormos is around, but with the eyes of the Resistance on him, he can’t do anything. If you need him, it’s likely we can get a message to him, however.”

“Security? Programmers?” Sloth looked between the Pteri and the Grundo. “How much have they replaced?”

“None of the researchers,” Fugelce said quickly. “And few of the programmers, at least of the ‘bots.”

Parlax nodded. “Security is almost unchanged. The holding cells have new guards, but there aren’t nearly as many of them. Not nearly as many prisoners, either.”

_Explain to me why these are the only two people here?_ Pariel asked.

Sloth smiled. _Because these are all we need._ Aloud, he said, “Fugelce, create more robots. For battle, if possible. The more self-aware, the better. I’d rather not waste any resources, and we have plenty of metal.”

The Pteri nodded, head bobbing like a cork.

“Organize this for me.” Sloth turned to Parlax. The split Grundo looked almost as surprised as Pariel felt. “You have access to my personnel logs as of now.”

_You trust him?_ Pariel asked, amazed.

_Of course I trust him,_ Sloth snapped. _He’s stayed with me despite watching me lose._

Parlax bowed, the shock on his face already smoothed over. “I would be honored.”

“Both of you may try and gather recruits.” Sloth looked at both of them. “Work together.”

He didn’t add ‘be careful’, Pariel noted. Judging by Parlax’s expression, that was likely a good idea. The Grundo already knew the rules, and would take it upon himself to ensure that Fugelce did as well.

The Pteri coughed, getting Sloth’s attention. “My lord? How overt should our actions be? Not as far as sabotage or the like,” he added hastily, wings fluttering. “But with recruitment.”

“Be discreet,” Sloth said. “I don’t want Valka knowing anything until it’s too late.”

“What counts as too late?” Fugelce asked.

Parlax scowled, creasing and twisting his scar. “If possible, he shouldn’t know until we take over. More likely, however, is him not knowing until we make our first attack. Whenever and wherever that is.”

“Precisely.” Sloth laid a hand on Parlax’s black-clad shoulder, looking at Fugelce. Parlax glanced up at Sloth, and Pariel thought he saw his eyes widen for a moment. He also seemed to have relaxed slightly, now that Sloth was touching him. It was interesting to note, and Pariel wondered if Sloth had noticed. “I expect to have a large enough force of robots – of warbots – in two months.”

Fugelce’s beak opened for a second, then closed again. Pariel felt the slightest twitch of Sloth’s lips as the Pteri bowed and spoke. “I will do my best, my lord.”

“You will do more than that.” Sloth’s eyes narrowed, and his voice deepened. “You will succeed beyond your own expectations. Use as many helpers as you need and can recruit without it seeming odd. Do you understand?”

The Pteri’s pale blue and purple head bobbed furiously.

“Good.”

Parlax glanced up. “My lord, how many do you expect to recruit before you begin attacking?”

“Perhaps a hundred.” Sloth shrugged. “I don’t expect many right now. Just do your best. I am entrusting the rebuilding of my empire to you, as I must keep my cover.”

Parlax straightened, looking Sloth in the eye. “My lord, will you answer a question for me?”

Sloth hesitated. Pariel could feel, and almost hear, the thoughts racing through his head. A few second later, he nodded.

“How did you return?” Parlax gestured at Sloth’s – Pariel’s – body. “You are not who you were.”

_Are you seriously going to tell him?_ Pariel asked. _You haven’t told me._

_Be quiet._ Sloth stepped away from the Grundo, crossing his arms. “Would you like the simple version?”

The split Grundo narrowed his eyes. “It’s the only version you’ll tell me, isn’t it?”

“Of course!” Sloth laughed. His words, however, were utterly serious. “I survive only because of the Space Faerie and this gift she gave me.” He touched the charm hanging at his throat.

_You’re kidding._ Pariel could feel Sloth’s warm joy at remembering the Space Faerie.

_Andromeda. And no, I’m not._

“Let me get this straight.” The look of disbelief of Parlax’s face was gratifying to Pariel, if not to Sloth. “You and the Space Faerie are on the same side?”

Sloth hesitated. “You asked how I survived. Faerie magic. How I came back. It’s due to faerie magic and a touch of luck. Simple.”

“Nothing’s ever simple,” Parlax said.

Pariel silently agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

The two months Sloth gave Fugelce to build his robots passed without any true problems. Fugelce got flustered at the harsh specifications Sloth gave, but each time Parlax handed in a report, the Pteri had managed to go above and beyond the specifications given. Each time Pariel came back form a salvage run, he marked most of his cargo specifically for Fugelce and his team, ensuring a relatively steady supply of metal for their projects.

Parlax reported every few days, streaming coded messages to Pariel’s salvager if he had to report while Pariel was on a salvage run. But the Grundo usually reported while they were on the space station, and he reported in person when possible. Fugelce occasionally joined those meetings, but more often Parlax simply included a progress report on the warbot project.

When the professor did join them, however, he always brought a robot to demonstrate what he and his team were doing. With each robot, Sloth’s approval grew, as each robot was closer to the warrior robot he wanted. When Fugelce brought a fully-functional warbot to a meeting, two months to the day from when Sloth issued his original orders, Pariel-Sloth took one look and smiled.

“Parlax.” Sloth didn’t turn his gaze from the Bori-styled robot. It was using its metal claws to good effect on a punching bag. Fugelce scurried in to pick up material as it fell out of the bag, careful to avoid his robot’s attacks. “Do you have anyone willing to go on a mission doomed to failure?”

The split Grundo hesitated. “That depends. How many do you want?”

“Two per group, I think.” The green Ruki nodded slightly, a smile on his face. “The volunteers should be able to command the robots in battle, if it’s necessary.”

“It won’t be,” Fugelce hurried to say. “The robots can find the best tactics for any given situation.”

Pariel doubted that. From what Fugelce had demonstrated of his robot, it seemed impressive for them to target the right team. Admittedly, the videos Fugelce had shown them were of robots battling each other, which was different than setting them loose among the peoples of Neopia, but it worried him.

Parlax narrowed his eyes. “Yes, my lord. I can do that. They’ll be fanatics, of course, so they’ll almost certainly use your name a as battle cry. Is that acceptable?”

“So long as our organization is well hidden.”

“It’s hidden.” Parlax frowned, typing a few commands into the computer. An image of Neopia filled the screen. “Where are you planning to attack?”

“Qasala.” Sloth expanded the city to fill the screen. “Almost nobody will care. Those who do won’t matter much. Choose an outlying town or area and tell your fanatics to destroy it.”

Parlax studied the image intently. “I’ll do my best, as will they.”

“How many warbots do you want for this?” Fugelce asked, fidgeting.

“How many do you have?” Pariel asked. He knew the answer, of course. The reports Parlax gave were thorough, and the lab data held more information that he knew what to do with. Sloth, however, spent hours going over the figures.

“I can have twenty ready by the end of the week,” Fugelce said.

“Send half with Parlax’s fanatics,” Sloth said. “Use the rest as test subjects as you try and improve them.”

The striped Pteri bowed. “As you wish, my lord.”

“Go. Prepare yourself.”

Fugelce hurried off, muttering to himself.

Sloth turned back to Parlax, arms crossed. “How likely is this to break our cover?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know.” Parlax sighed, blanking the computer screen. “At the first attack, unlikely that they’ll really know, or do, anything. After three or four? It’s harder to say.”

The Ruki closed his eyes, concentrating. “Make sure that we have enough spare robots for another attack two days after the attack on Qasala. And another two days after that. I don’t care what tricks Fugelce pulls to get that done. We need to keep surprise on our side for that long.”

“You’re just going to give more credence to the idea that you’re back, my lord.”

“What’s the other option?” Sloth shook his head, eyes open and focused on Parlax. “We’ll need to be able to pull off a schedule like that as soon as the robots are finalized. A harsher schedule, even. Let Fugelce begin worrying now. It’ll pay off in the end.”

_You hope._

_It’s all I can do, right now._ Sloth sighed. “I’ll be out in space when you begin the mission. Keep the video records from the robots for me.”

Parlax bowed. “I will, my lord.”

Sloth nodded sharply, turning to leave. As he began to open the door, Parlax spoke again. “Be careful.”

“Only if you are.” Sloth strode out of the room, into the empty corridors of the lab level. His footsteps echoed, ringing through the halls.

_Do you really think they’ll manage that schedule?_ Pariel asked.

_Does it really matter?_

Pariel didn’t answer. The corridors he strode through were silent, filled with nothing but the buzz of electronics, the hiss of the ventilation, the occasional explosions from inside reinforced labs, and his own footsteps and breathing. Neither of them spoke until they reached the lift. Pariel thought ahead to the silence and peace of the salvage run he’d embark on in two days. What he could hear of Sloth’s thoughts focused on the missions to come, ones that would also start in two days.

_It matters,_ Pariel said, calling the lift, _because if they fail, they will blame themselves. And Fugelce depressed... I don’t want to see that._

Sloth sighed, leaning against the wall. _They’ll manage. One way or another, they’ll manage._

Two days later, when Parlax delivered a final report before Pariel-Sloth left for a salvage run, the Grundo mentioned the accelerated schedule. “Fugelce says he’s going crazy with all this work, but he’s getting it done.” Parlax gave a rare smile. “I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts on the battles to come, my lord.” He saluted.

Pariel-Sloth returned the salute absently, entering the airlock. When they took off, Pariel left the whole deal of Sloth’s now growing empire behind. Sloth, however, did not. But when the green Ruki returned to the space station five days later, cargo bay full of metal scraps, Sloth’s hidden glee resonated through all their thoughts. In the corridor outside the hanger, a positively euphoric Pteri jumped onto Pariel-Sloth as soon as they emerged from the airlock.

“We did it!” Fugelce crowed. “My lord, it all went as you said.”

Sloth pried the over-excited Pteri off his back. “Wait until we’re secure, professor.”

“Sorry.” Fugelce didn’t look at all contrite as he flew ahead, calling a lift so that they could get to a secure place as soon as possible. Pariel-Sloth followed with a sigh. All the way to the Rainbow Room, Fugelce blathered on about anything that came into his mind. Once inside, Parlax glared at the striped Pteri, shutting him up.

“Now that you’re here, my lord, we can talk.” The split Grundo crossed his arms. “The missions were... well, it depends on your point of view. Qasala was a failure. You can see that for yourself.” He inserted a disc into the computer. “Sandstorms are the bane of all robots, after all. The fanatics did their best, but that fight took little more than ten minutes, if that. That’s from when they landed, by the way. It took the Qasalans a while to get to them.”

Pariel-Sloth stared at the screen. First one camera, then another, and then all of them flickered out. They all showed the same scene of sand flying through the air before dying. “Fugelce. Have you fixed this problem yet?”

“It’s difficult,” the professor admitted. “They need to be mobile, after all.”

“I asked if you had fixed it yet.” Sloth glared at Fugelce, crossing his arms. “I didn’t ask about whether or not it was difficult.”

“No, lord.” The Pteri scuffed the floor with one talon. “I haven’t.”

“Do so immediately.” Sloth looked back at Parlax. “The other two attacks?”

“Neopia Central and Altador.” Parlax shrugged. “They didn’t have environmental danger, and I wanted to test the actual fighting ability of these robots.” He pressed a button, and ten new windows opened on the computer. “As you can see, Neopia Central went fairly well, considering the speed with which the Defenders arrived.”

Pariel-Sloth nodded, eyes fixed on the screens. As soon as they all turned black, he spoke again. “You did well with that. Altador?”

“Well.” Parlax looked away, pressing a button to open the videos of the attack.

“We didn’t get there.” Fugelce let his wings fall to the ground. “Well. The capsule delivered them, but before they could get to the city, a Faerie destroyed them.”

Sighing, Pariel-Sloth placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “It’s to be expected that we lose in the beginning. Make sure this sort of loss never happens again.”

“We will do our best,” Fugelce promised. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off to work on the problem of sand-proofing the robots. And water-proofing. And anything-else-I-can-think-of-proofing.”

“Good.” Pariel-Sloth released the Pteri. Fugelce fluttered off, muttering calculations to himself. Pariel-Sloth turned his gaze to Parlax. “Now, tell me where you believe we should attack next.”

“Shenkuu. Terror Mountain. Tyrannia.” Parlax paused. “Perhaps Brightvale. I’m not sure.”

With a slight smile, Pariel-Sloth squeezed the Grundo’s shoulder. “The first three will do for the next wave. As soon as Fugelce has improved robots, begin attacking.”

“Order?”

“Tyrannia first,” Pariel-Sloth said, considering. “Do Terror Mountain at the same time, if you can. Then Shenkuu. If you have leftovers, then go ahead and attack Brightvale.”

Parlax bowed. “As you wish, my lord. Perhaps you will be able to watch the attacks as they happen, this time.”

Pariel-Sloth smiled, letting his joy at the events unfolding show. “I hope I will.”


	6. Chapter 6

Months passed. As time went on, Pariel-Sloth did his best to coordinate the times he was on the station to when those who shared his hanger were not. It never completely worked, but he came closer. With each set of attacks on Neopia, the security on the Space Station increased. With each increase, Parlax and his hackers found new ways to work around Valka.

Then Pariel-Sloth ordered a triple-strength attack on Kiko Lake.

The response was immediate. A heavily guarded shuttle left the Space Station within twelve hours after Kiko Lake was destroyed. Pariel-Sloth kept his forces from following it. It didn’t matter what happened on Neopia anymore. “Before Valka gets back, set the station up for the takeover.” Pariel-Sloth turned away from the computer screen, arms clasped behind his back. “We won’t have much time.”

Parlax bowed and left the room silently. Outside, Pariel-Sloth heard the Grundo beginning to contact the cells of his army. Pariel-Sloth smiled. _This will work wonderfully._

_For who?_

_Us, of course._

The green Ruki turned back towards the windows, pleased with the world. The attack on Shenkuu should arrive soon, and then he’d get to watch another round of robots get slaughtered. Pariel-Sloth smiled, thoughts turning to the land that seemed so flighty, and yet had the strength of steel and blades that cut as beautifully as pure energy. The computer bleeped softly, and Pariel-Sloth turned to face it. The capsule had landed. Ten separate camera views appeared on the computer screen, and Pariel-Sloth leaned closer to watch.

There was a hill in front of them, and as the robots began moving towards it, Pariel-Sloth saw a single Kougra, purple and dressed in what looked like dark blue leather, standing at the top of the hill. Pariel-Sloth shook his head. Even the Shenkuuri weren’t so prideful to believe that one of them could beat ten robots and two fanatics with lasers. Assuming the fanatics remembered they had lasers, which didn’t always happen. Pariel-Sloth’s smile soured. If this was one of those times, he’d record a speech for Parlax to show to his army. And it wouldn’t be a pleasant speech. Not at all.

A message flashed up on the computer. _Activate sound? Y/N_

Pariel-Sloth hesitated for a moment, then pressed _Y_. Immediately, the fanatic’s shouted orders came through. Pariel-Sloth winced. Of course this was a cowardly batch. The robots advanced up the hill. Pariel-Sloth stared at the Kougra, but the warrior didn’t move. Enlarging one of the images, Pariel-Sloth’s eyes widened. The Kougra’s eyes were closed. He was either brave or stupid, and Pariel-Sloth didn’t know which he was hoping for.

With a shake of his head, the Ruki reset the images so that all ten displayed equally. Garbled words that sounded like whispers in the wind came through the speakers. ‘Remember’ was the only word that Pariel-Sloth could easily make out. Then one of the robots crested the hill. The Kougra’s eyes snapped open and his sword flashed. One of the cameras fizzled out with a screech, and Pariel-Sloth shut off the sound with a wince, typing a quick command to make any speech show up as subtitles.

_-sword is like water. It flows smoothly and steadily, yet it can be still and calm or quick and roaring.-_ The Kougra’s speech paused as he cut down two more robots with perfect blows. Pariel-Sloth sighed. Neither bravery nor stupidity was the reason for the Kougra standing on his own. The Kougra was good. Better than almost any other sword-warrior Pariel-Sloth had seen. But then, the Kougra was Shenkuan, probably a Shenkuuri by the way he was talking.

_-The way of the sword is not one of violence, but one of protection. Aggression is not violence. Anger is violence, when it is not controlled. Aggression is simply the art of taking away the initiative from one’s opponent. Taking the initiative from an opponent can take many forms, but the final art is that of destroying their spirit without a touch.-_ The words flowed across the screen as the Kougra cut down almost all the robots, leaving only one left.

_-Remember that to touch the void is to touch the heart of nothingness, and to fight, you must touch that void with your thoughts.-_

Pariel-Sloth jerked at those words, which remained on the black screen. All the robots were destroyed. The mutants couldn’t win against the Kougra. If they’d fought with the robots, they could’ve. But no. Pariel sighed, head in his hands. The robots should’ve withstood that attack better.

_The heart of nothingness,_ Sloth said quietly. _Interesting that he uses that term._

_Why?_ Pariel asked, perversely annoyed. _It’s pretty much what a void is._

_You’ve lived within my mind._ Sloth sighed, blanking the computer. _To most Neopians, the definition of a void is a vacuum. An empty place. Not a heart of nothingness. A heart of nothingness..._ Placing a hand on the wall, Sloth stared out a window at the stars. _The heart of nothingness is what we live. Perhaps you don’t realize it yet, but it won’t be too long until you’ll be forced to. One hundred years. That’s how long we get before the sun burns our reign, Pariel. One hundred years to rule a world of peace before it splinters once more._

_What are you talking about now? I thought you’d told me everything already._

_You’ll never know everything I do until we’re truly one._ Sloth smiled suddenly. _I can show you something, though, when we go back into space._

_Which we can do as soon as you’ve assured yourself that everything’s going smoothly._

Pariel-Sloth turned from the window, leaving the room without another word. Within the small room it connected to, Parlax had set up a jungle of electronics. The lithe split Grundo finished talking to a group, then switched off the receiver. “Go on,” Parlax said, glancing up at Pariel-Sloth. “I can deal with all of this. Hopefully it’ll all be over before you get back.”

The green Ruki nodded sharply, navigating through the electronic mess. As he left, he heard Parlax begin talking to his army again. Pariel-Sloth strode down the corridors quickly, not caring if a scientist saw him up here. He’d been seen up here enough for them to simply assume he was one of them, and his association with Fugelce enhanced that belief. As the scientists and researchers often kept odd hours, they thought nothing of the irregularity of when they saw him.

_And that’s the way we like it._

Smiling, Pariel-Sloth called a lift. One arrived in bare seconds, and Pariel-Sloth entered. As soon as the doors closed, he pressed the button for level 15. The lift rose quickly, letting Pariel-Sloth out in the low gravity of the dock level. Without any hesitation, the Ruki strode to the hanger his salvager resided in. In the airlock, he pulled on his spacesuit, fastening everything with half his mind. The other half, Sloth’s half, was quiet, much to Pariel’s annoyance.

But once inside the hanger – filled by four salvagers that probably looked the same to anyone who didn’t see them most days – Pariel-Sloth entered his salvager and strapped himself into his seat, poking in the standard request for takeoff. At about the same time as he finished securing himself, the giant doors above – _below_ – him opened. Feathering the thrusters, Pariel dropped out of the space station’s hanger, into the void of space.

Pariel set course for the scraps that still drifted in orbit around Neopia and Kreludor.

_No._ Sloth took over, putting in coordinates that Pariel didn’t recognize at all.

_So where are we going, then?_

_To where stars shine bright and clear in the darkness, where the void of space and the burning sun are balanced perfectly. To a place only four people in the world know about._

_Will there now be five who know, since you’re showing me?_

Sloth hesitated, hands falling still as he stared out at space and the stars. _No,_ he said at last. _There are still only four._

_Why?_

_Because we are one._

Pariel quieted, watching as Sloth guided his salvager away from Neopia, into the depths of space. The stars were constant, but looking at the screens showing what was behind him, Pariel could see Neopia, Kreludor, and the space station shrinking in the distance. Everything he knew was falling away, to be replaced with stars and the heart of nothingness.

“Listen,” Sloth said, shutting down all the lights inside the salvager. “Can you hear it? We’re almost there.”

Pariel closed his eyes, ignoring Sloth’s soft laughter. Sitting there, bound to his seat by nothing more than pieces of plastic strapped to his legs, Pariel listened. At first, he heard nothing but his breath, in and out, over and over again. Then, the buzz of the life-support systems. Occasional bursts of sound as the thrusters maneuvered the salvager for unknown reasons. A faint thread of music unlike anything Pariel had ever heard before.

“Yes,” Sloth said, words so soft they were barely audible. “Fideus gave me this music thirty years ago, Pariel. He said that I would know when it was time to share it with another. For the longest time, I didn’t understand. Now I do.” He smiled. “Welcome to my world, Pariel. Welcome to my mind.”

The song echoed, reverberating in every cell of Pariel-Sloth’s body. Each note was a prickle, as if a leg that’d fallen asleep was waking up once more. Sloth’s voice drew Pariel up and into the song. Nothing else existed for that time, though neither of them knew (he didn’t know?) how long it lasted. All they knew was that the song held them, brought new life to them, and was so beautiful it couldn’t ever be denied.

When at last the song left him, Pariel-Sloth drew a deep breath, smiling. They weren’t separate anymore. They truly were one body, one mind, and nothing could unforge that bond now. Nothing at all.


	7. Chapter 7

Everything had fallen into place, of course. Pariel-Sloth had never doubted Parlax. The split Grundo knew his duty well and performed exceptionally. The cells of his army were placed around the space station, some taking the place of officers that Valka had no reason not to trust implicitly. With a smile, Pariel-Sloth entered the planning room.

As soon as he entered, the people seated around the table sat up, turning to face him. Even Parlax, used to him – no. The Grundo was used to how he had been, not what he had become – straightened, eyes widening slightly, and stood. “My lord,” Parlax said, bowing. “May I introduce you to the leaders of your army?”

Pariel-Sloth took one look at the disheveled group, eyes narrowing. “You may not. If, knowing that their lord and master is coming to meet them, they cannot dress properly, they are not worthy of the presence of their lord and master.”

Without another word, Pariel-Sloth turned and left the room. Behind him, he heard protests once the imbeciles thought him too far away to overhear. The Ruki kept careful track of which voices he heard raised in protest, knowing that once Parlax had organized them enough to be presentable, he would recognize each and every one of the voices.

A soft knock on the door was enough signal for Pariel-Sloth to enter once more, slowly looking at the so-called leaders arranged before him.

Few of them were dressed at all alike, unless you counted civilian clothing. Parlax wore his old uniform, deep purple with gray accents, all the lines neat and orderly. Two of the ‘leaders’ wore Resistance uniforms. Pariel-Sloth glanced at Parlax, antennae twitching. There would be a good explanation for this, he was sure. Parlax would do no less. Three other ‘leaders’ wore swords, and five had blasters. Of those armed, only one actually had a uniform on, and that one wore the badge of a lieutenant on his military uniform. Pariel-Sloth nodded approval to that one, barely sparing the other, still disheveled, leaders a glance.

Parlax coughed softly. “My lord. Now that they are fully aware of who you are and what their position is, may I introduce you to the leaders of your army?”

Pariel-Sloth nodded almost imperceptibly.

“Lieutenant Korbian Tephal.” The silver Eyrie saluted, bowing slightly. Pariel-Sloth returned the salute as Parlax introduced the next person.

“Maven Harrison.” A scarred red Ogrin bowed, one hand still on his sword.

“Laurel of Brightvale, formerly a member of Valka’s Resistance.” Arms crossed, the star-spangled Aisha nodded slightly, a frown on her face.

“Kent and Dixon Harford.” The two Ixi, one pink and the other blue, raised their hands in a civilian’s salute. Each of them had a pair of blasters on their belt.

“Tai Silver, formerly a member of Valka’s Resistance.” The yellow Bori bowed slightly, a smile on his face.

“Hope and Haven Gold.” Identical speckled Krawk nodded their heads.

“And the rest of the sorry lot just happened to get voted to be in charge of their cells.” Parlax glared at all of them, his displeasure obvious. “I would have chosen leaders myself, Lord, but I was more concerned with making sure everything went as it was supposed to.”

Pariel-Sloth narrowed his eyes. “Tell me,” he said softly, “can any of you imbeciles tell me who it was protesting that I could not be Sloth, your Lord and Master?”

The eight Parlax had introduced kept silent. A wise move, in Pariel-Sloth’s opinion. Of the disheveled lot, not one of them had the courage to even stand their ground against his glare. They crowded back, clustering together for... company? Strength? A higher intelligence? Pariel-Sloth shook his head. “Parlax. Get rid of those fools. I cannot abide having that sort of person as a leader.” Turning to those introduced to him, Pariel-Sloth smiled. “Please, tell me of the current state of affairs in your commands.”

“Order, relative to the chaos running through the minds of Valka’s men.” Lieutenant Tephal spoke clearly, and his voice was the sort that lent itself to command. “We have nothing to fear from them. Especially now that you are back, M’lord.”

“We have plants within Valka’s forces.” Tai shrugged, civilian clothing loose on his muscular frame. “Laurel and I arranged that. Valka doesn’t know we’re with you. No one still in the Resistance does.”

That explained something of why Parlax had allowed them in. Pariel-Sloth nodded. “How well can the Resistance forces fight if we turn off the gravity?”

Tai hesitated, and Laurel filled the gap. “Depends on the person. Same with us, M’lord. Not all of us can actually fight in null-G.”

“Enough of us can.” Tephal crossed his arms, a slight smile on his face. “And we’ll know it’s coming. My lord, only turn off the gravity after Valka comes back. We will accomplish more that way.”

“Valka came back three hours ago,” Pariel-Sloth said sharply. “Pay attention to the networks. The computer nets in particular. Don’t you have hackers?”

“Well.” Tephal looked away. So did most of the others.

The pink Ixi – either Kent or Dixon; he didn’t know which – stared him straight in the eyes. “They got fried. All of them. Dee and I led them. We’re the only ones who aren’t messed right now, and we can’t do anything about it. Dee won’t go on the nets at all now, and I’d rather stick to the safe nets, not the hacker’s web.”

“I’ll look into that,” Pariel-Sloth said absently. “For now... Whichever of you leads warriors, give them a crash course in how to deal with null-G. Tai, Laurel, pass the message to your plants, tell them what to expect. They need to get rid of Resistance backup systems if they can. I’d like it if we could take out all power except life-support. Add fighting in the dark to what to give the warriors a crash course on. I will turn the power off at 0100 hours tomorrow. Be ready.” Pariel-Sloth spun, leaving the room before any of them had a chance to bow.

His blood burned. Someone had dared to contaminate his computer systems. His own hacker net had been cut, and by someone who knew enough to keep the alarms from going off. He had a nagging suspicion about who it was, but until he got hold of a computer and a place where he could be alone—

Stopping in the middle of the lab hallway, the green Ruki turned around. Behind him, as he had suspected, was Fideus. “What in all the worlds are you doing here?”

“Watching,” the spotted Lupe said mildly, blue-gray eyes shining. “I’m hurt that you’d think anything else of me.”

Pariel-Sloth sighed. “What do you want?”

Fideus shook his head, smoothing his red and gold robes. “How long have you been here, Sloth?” he asked softly. “Forty-two years?”

“Forty-three, with the orb.” Pariel-Sloth crossed his arms. “Fifty-one since I was born. Why does it matter?”

“Because the world has been a land of order ever since you came here. Perhaps ever since you were born.” The Lupe held out a hand. It resonated with power, and Pariel-Sloth heard the song in a soft ball of light that appeared over Fideus’s palm. “You’ve listened to it, then.” Fideus smiled, and the smile held all the love of a father. “I’d wondered.”

“You don’t wonder, Chronicler. You know.”

“True.” Fideus closed his hand, the light instead forming an aura around him. “She is coming. I suggest you ready yourself. Kreludor will do nicely for the one, an orb for the other.”

“And you, Fideus?” Pariel-Sloth stepped forward, resting a hand on the Lupe’s arm. “What will I do with you?”

Fideus closed his eyes, voice growing hoarse. “One hundred years, child of order. One hundred years before chaos brings balance back to this world. Try not to get too full of yourself before that happens.” The light around him intensified, almost burning Pariel-Sloth’s hand.

Pariel-Sloth released the Lupe, backing up so that he wouldn’t get caught in the backlash. “Next time, don’t mess with the system,” he said to the Lupe. “It hurts the hackers.”

Laughter echoed out from the light, pure as a waterfall or a wild bird’s song. Pariel-Sloth turned away, unable to look at the light anymore. A breath later, the light and laughter disappeared. Pariel-Sloth began walking once more, the light and music still running along his body like electricity. Muttering curses at Fideus, Pariel-Sloth found an abandoned lab, ensconcing himself in the room and disappearing into the hacker net. His net.

The lines of code hadn’t changed at all. He saw that with a glance. The power, however, had. Spreading his slender fingers over the keyboard, Pariel-Sloth closed his eyes. He could see all the lines of power and code that wove the net. With barely a thought, he found the first error. The next breath, and he fixed three more. Minutes passed, perhaps even hours, without any notice. When Pariel-Sloth finally did open his eyes, it was nearly 0100 hours. Pariel-Sloth smiled.

His left hand rested on the keyboard, fingers over the few buttons he needed to press. He’d worked a full shutdown into the code when he’d first created it, but never had a chance to test it. Now, it seemed, he would. As the clock flipped to read 0100, Pariel-Sloth entered the code.

The lights shut off in a moment, plunging the space station into night. The gravity bled away in less than a minute, leaving everyone floating in the dark. The emergency lights flickered, then faded away. In the darkness, Pariel-Sloth heard the chaos begin.

He laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

Drifting in the darkness, Pariel-Sloth pushed away from the desk. All the computers had shut down, as had the communication systems. Everything except the doors, the lifts, and the life-support systems. The hiss of recirculating air seemed louder than usual, without the buzz of lights and echo of boots on the metal floors. Moving through the empty corridors with gentle pushes on the walls, Pariel-Sloth didn’t bother keeping track of up or down. All that mattered was that he was moving towards the lifts.

As he reached the first one, he heard hushed voices. With a silent sigh, the Ruki turned and headed for the next one. It wouldn’t do for him to be seen by anyone else. Not until he reached Valka’s headquarters. He knew where they were, of course. Valka hadn’t bothered to relocate after the Resistance took over the space station. Level 8, sector 4, sub-sector 5. Pariel-Sloth was actually rather impressed by how well they’d hidden it from normal means of detection during the time they’d tried to take over. He’d found them using his net, but had assumed they were nothings.

Now, however, they weren’t trying to hide at all. Riding a lift to level 8, Pariel-Sloth smiled at the irony. He was taking over the space station in a very similar way to how they’d originally taken over. Subterfuge, skill, and some amount of luck. The lift doors opened, and Pariel-Sloth pushed off, sailing to the top of the huge room that the lift opened into. Grazing the ceiling, Pariel-Sloth rebounded back down to one of the exits, moving easily in the void.

Inside the corridors, it was simply a matter of making sure his momentum stayed mostly in the right direction, and then correcting every time he was about to hit the walls. Very efficient, so long as one knew where they were going. And Pariel-Sloth knew exactly where he was going. Grabbing hold of the handle to the Resistance headquarters, he jerked to a halt, opening the door. Inside, battery-powered lights were strung up everywhere. Pariel-Sloth laughed, seeing them. It looked like Christmas.

“Did you pretty it up for me?” he asked the empty room, looking around. “Thank you very much, Resistance. I never knew you cared.” With a bow, he blew a kiss to the room. Pushing off, he headed to the only door. The Resistance, though clever, had no idea how easy it was to navigate their home. Each door led to only a few other choices, and there was usually only noise coming from one of those choices. When Pariel-Sloth finally caught up to the Resistance, he was in the heart of their headquarters and knew it.

The Resistance was smaller than he’d thought it would be, now that they had control. Only a hundred or so of them were crowded into the room. A green Ixi floated in the middle, barking out orders. Near him, Pariel-Sloth thought he could see the Grundo and Cybunny who had caused this whole mess in the first place.

His hands clenched. “Would you like to know what happened?” he asked, projecting his voice into the mass. “Why the power is down, but the lifts still work?” Pushing off the wall, Pariel-Sloth drifted towards Valka. “Or perhaps why I, obviously not one of you, would come here, offering to explain? Which shall it be first, my friends?”

Pariel-Sloth grabbed an orange Ogrin’s arm, spinning both of them. “You, young sir? What question do you ask of me?” Leaving the Ogrin sputtering, Pariel-Sloth sent them flying in opposite directions, catching another arm, this one purple and feathered. “Or you, lady, what do you wish to know?” The Lenny shook him off, and Pariel-Sloth laughed as he slowly made his way to Valka.

Reaching the mustachioed Ixi, Pariel-Sloth bowed. “So honored to meet you at last, Commander. You’ve done so much for the world.” His voice dripped with sarcasm, but he doubted that the Ixi would notice. “So much for this station.”

“Why are you here?” Valka demanded.

Placing a hand on his chest, Pariel-Sloth assumed an expression of pain. “I’m hurt! You don’t even wonder who I am or how I got here. You simply ask the question which has the most obvious answer.”

“And that is...?”

“I came to see you, of course!” Pariel-Sloth spread his arms wide, not caring if it made him spin. “Such a silly thing to ask. Next question?”

Valka grabbed Pariel-Sloth’s shoulder. “I want to know who you are and why the power’s off, since you implied that you knew why that happened.”

“Of course.” Pariel-Sloth yanked Valka’s hand off, staring the green Ixi in the eyes. “I am your enemy, and I shut the power off so that I could retake what is mine.”

Eyes widening, Valka opened his mouth.

Before the Ixi could say anything, Pariel-Sloth drew Valka close, placing a hand over the Ixi’s mouth. “My name is Sloth. Pariel-Sloth. You do not need to know how I survived or why I am in the body of a green Ruki. Know that it is true, Valka, and that I will now destroy what you worked so hard to create.”

Throwing the Ixi away, Pariel-Sloth let himself spin out into the chaos. His army had done their work well. They were in the gathering room already, and as Pariel-Sloth threw Valka away, they revealed themselves. The agents Tai and Laurel had planted did their work without as much notice, but caused more pain. Pariel-Sloth could see all of them, hearing the stars outside sing their song in voices that penetrated the space stations thick walls and deep inside the levels.

A laser beam shot past him, and Pariel-Sloth hissed, grabbing the charm that still hung around his neck. He couldn’t let any harm come to it. His body would deal with whatever happened to it, but he could never replace the charm. Placing a foot against the nearest surface, Pariel-Sloth sent himself towards the exit. The guards floating to guard it saw him coming and did their best to clear a path for him. Pariel-Sloth raised a hand in acknowledgement as he passed them, rebounding off the floor.

Behind him, the fight would last until the Resistance acknowledged him. Until them, Pariel-Sloth could make himself more useful in the communications area of the headquarters. Grabbing the arm of the first person he came across, Pariel-Sloth demanded directions. He got them, though they were given in a weak stammer. Tossing the useless coward aside, Pariel-Sloth followed the path he’d been given, reaching the communications room without any trouble.

A spotted Lupe sat inside the room, calm blue-gray eyes staring at him. “You move quickly. And change even more quickly.”

“Move,” Pariel-Sloth growled. “I have something to do.”

“You always do.” Fideus rose, pushing himself to a different chair. “Why do you think I waited here?”

“Because you love to interfere?” Gripping the seat with his legs, Pariel-Sloth tapped commands into the computer, re-opening the public announcement system, but only for his use. “You don’t usually just pop by to see how I’m doing.”

“And I can’t just break my own patterns, is that it?”

“Fideus, leave me alone.” Pariel-Sloth turned to face the Lupe. “You don’t do anything except annoy me.”

“That’s not my intention, you know.” Fideus shrugged, red and gold robes floating in the zero-g environment. “I simply wish to make sure you don’t make the wrong decisions.”

“How about leaving me and letting me address the station?” Pariel-Sloth asked, crossing his arms. “It’s rather difficult to do that with you talking to me.”

Fideus laughed. “Very well, little brother. I will be back once you’ve finished finding out how much of a headache this will give you.”

Before Pariel-Sloth could say anything else, Fideus waved a hand and light filled the room. Pariel-Sloth thought he heard the soft sounds of Fideus propelling himself out of the room, but with the light and his own curses, he couldn’t tell. When the light faded, he stared at the spot where Fideus had been until the afterimages faded, trying to figure out what had just happened.

At last, he turned back to the communications console and pressed the button that would allow his voice to resound through the station. “My name is Pariel-Sloth,” he began. “I will be perfectly clear: I do not expect any of you to believe that I am Sloth reborn. Not yet. I have all the time I need to prove that to you.

“Know this, however: I am indeed Sloth, whether or not you believe it, and I am in control of the Virtupets Space Station. I know all the secrets of the computer net, whether it’s the civilian net or the one the hackers believe they created. I know their secrets. Why? Because I created both of them.

“In fact, I created the entire station. There are no places to hide from me, if I wish to find you. Understand that I can hunt you down if you displease me, that I can find any of you if you speak against me. I will be fair. I will be kind, if you allow me to be. But if you try to take my throne once more, I will not be kind. I cannot. I was promised a chance to rule Neopia. Retaking this space station is simply the beginning.

“I will not lie to you if I can avoid it. I will destroy whole lands of Neopia if I need to. I will ravage the entire world, if that is what it takes. I would rather not. Neopia is beautiful, and the people will accept me more easily if I don’t make their home into ashes to prove a point. The point I am willing to destroy to prove? That I can rid the world of all the disorder that resides within it, if I am given the chance and the ability to make a difference in the world.

“You are simply the first step in a larger journey. I’m sorry for the discomfort I have had to cause to prove my point. The power and gravity will return at noon, 1200 hours. I will address you again at that time.

“My name is Lord Pariel-Sloth. I thank you for your time.”

Pariel-Sloth leaned back in his chair, trying not to think about what the future would bring. There was a saying from Shenkuu that spoke of not wishing for things, simply for fear of the wishes being granted. World domination had always been his goal. Always for peace. Always for order. And now that he had the opportunity, he was worrying.

With a sigh, he rose, pushing off the desk to float back to the main gathering space of the Resistance. No matter what the future brought, he would face it without fear. He had been promised a chance to rule, and he meant to hold Fideus to that promise.


End file.
